Bobby’s Not Snitching

This is outrageously irresponsible journalism. Not being vaccinated puts others at risk. Decisions by people not to be vaccinated have lead to countless deaths in our country. This is not a cute story.

Words not to live by. Wish I could get back the 15 seconds I spent reading this drivel.

Thanks for the feedback. Our aim with this "Word on the Street" video/radio series is to reveal how people often left out of news stories think, so that decisions and debate can take place based on reality.
I think anyone familiar with the news site or the radio programs would know that we did not agree with those views on snitching and vaccination, and would know that we devote far more time and space to people who provide countervailing opinions and perspectives and information.
That said, we consider denying the existence of or failing to understand different points of view, preventing readers/listeners from hearing why people see things differently and live differently, an outrageously irresponsible approach to journalism. The central part of the story for me was the conversation that is in the embedded video. I don't see any way out of breaking through the polarization of our society without those conversations taking place in an honest open way, rather than elites just talking to elites and everybody else talking to everbody else. I'm not sure that that latter strategy has been successful in promoting vaccination or respect for law enforcement.
I respect that you see it differently. I see the argument the that it's important not to make news sites a forum for promoting potentially harmful speech. I also see the argument that this might not be the best way to present the information, that summarizing the speaker's point in the introduction might not induce people to click on the full conversation. And I agree as well that we should not print misinformation that promotes avoiding vaccination.
We publish a lot of stories and air many hours of discussions every week. I want to keep exploring new approaches and enable as many people as possible to be heard and part of the conversation. I agree with you that we need to be thoughtful about how we do that. Thank you again for the feedback; it helps us think more about it. -- Paul

At the very least, it seems like folks are playing this guy for a fool, which is mean spirited.

This is very similar to WTNH’s “Faces of the Unvaccinated”, where they find absolute weirdos willing to be on camera.

‘Super cringe vibes’ for the GenZ crowd

If he really has had it twice hes more protected then the vaccine. The vaccine is like 6 months of protection thats why u need booster shots cmon now!

I think Paul made the correct editorial decision. Back in days of the FCC Equal Time Rule, broadcasters would post a disclaimer that the views being expressed were not necessarily those of the management. That is implied in this series, but perhaps should be made explicit. And Steve, Babz did encourage him to get vaccinated. And she’s right about snitching.

Mr. Alvarez undoubtedly loves his mom, a good thing. The fact that did not get vaccinated and came down with COVID means he likely exposed her to the disease.

Michael Ross, no own knows how long infection provides protection. There are data regarding protection provided against the original strain, which is no longer prevalent. But the Delta strain became common in the U.S. about six months ago, the Omicron strain more recently. We can’t possibly know, at this time, how long infection with these strains provides protection against them. And there is no way of knowing whether infection will provide protection from future strains. It is a near certainty that there will be future strains.

Thanks, Paul, for helping to provide alternate ideas here.

While I made the decision to get vaccinated, I respect those who have decided not to participate in what is essentially, a very large experiment.

It is mean spirited - and anti science - to suggest that this guy 'not being vaccinated puts others at risk. 1) he has natural anti bodies from having it TWICE. So has more immunity than most. 2) as we have seen clearly in the past 10 weeks, vaccination is great for keeping you out of the hospital but not so great at stopping the spread.

Let's follow the lead of the NHI and allow for a variety of viewpoints and debate. The alternative - a society where only one set of ideas or beliefs is allowed - is a very dark place to live.

LookOut, Mr. Alvarez had natural anti-bodies from his first infection and got COVID again, right?

It is not anti-science to say that Mr. Alvarez’s failure to get vaccinated put others at risk. People who are infected with COVID are routinely infectious for several days before they show any symptoms. During this time Mr. Alvarez undoubtedly interacted with others, possibly including his mom. He thus exposed them to the disease twice. The same would be true for a vaccinated person who suffered a breakthrough case. But pre-Omicron, i.e. the period when Mr. Alvarez was infected, breakthrough cases were very rare.

Nor was my statement mean-spirited. Mr. Alvarez acted ignorantly, not malevolently. There is no reason to believe that he would knowingly expose his mom or anyone else to harm.

Being vaccinated does not eliminate the risk of being infected and the subsequent risk of spreading the disease. But it substantially reduces these risks. At the end of December, unvaccinated people had three times the risk of coming down with COVID. That ratio undoubtedly came down with the spread of the Omicron strain. But during the span of the pandemic, you were doing yourself and others a favor by being vaccinated.

Whack article

Can The Independent Replace Ted Lightfoot with Bobby Alvarez?